Photo Set | Landmine incidents in all seven districts of locally-defined Karen State (March 2021 to January 2024)
Since the 2021 coup[1], the use of landmines has proliferated in Southeast Burma amid the ongoing armed conflict. Landmines are used by not only the State Administration Council (SAC)[2], but all armed actors in Southeast Burma, to both protect territory and attack opponents. A lack of mine clearance operations has left severe contamination across Southeast Burma, of both new and old landmines. In addition, the SAC has been increasingly targeting civilians directly with these indiscriminate weapons.[3] Such use of landmines, and the overall contamination throughout the region, is causing civilian deaths and injuries and affecting the lives and livelihoods of villagers.
The following 27 photos were taken by community members in all seven districts of locally-defined Karen State[4], who have been trained by KHRG to monitor local human rights conditions in their areas, as well as other local villagers who provided their photos to KHRG. The districts are Doo Tha Htoo (Thaton), Taw Oo (Toungoo), Kler Lwee Htoo (Nyaunglebin), Mergui-Tavoy, Mu Traw (Hpapun), Dooplaya and Hpa-an.[5] The photographic evidence is presented below, censored where necessary for security purposes.
Further background reading on the situation of landmines, and overall human rights abuses, in Southeast Burma can be found in the following KHRG reports: